Introduction To Criminology
Introduction To Criminology
Introduction To Criminology
What is CRIMINOLOGY?
In its broadest sense, criminology is entire body of knowledge regarding, crimes, criminals and the effort of
society to prevent and repress them.
In a narrower sense, criminology is the scientific study of crimes and criminals.
Criminology is the scientific approach to studying criminal behavior. In their classic definition, criminologist
Edwin Sutherland and Donald Cressey state:Criminology is the body of knowledge regarding crime as a social
phenomenon. It includes within its scope the processes of making laws. The objective of criminology is the
development of a body of general and verified principles and other types of knowledge regarding this process of law,
crime, and treatments.
Criminology is a body of knowledge regarding delinquency and crime as a social phenomenon (Tradio,
1999). It may also refer to the study of crimes and criminals and the attempt of analyzing scientifically their causes
and control and the treatment of criminals.
Criminology is a multidisciplinary study of crimes (Bartol, 1995). This means that many disciplines are
involved in the collection of knowledge about criminal action, including, psychology, sociology, anthropology, biology,
neurology, political science and economics. But over the years, sociology, psychology, and psychiatry have
dominated the study of crime.
a. Sociology – (Sociological Criminology) – the study of crime focused on the group of people and society as
a whole. It is primarily based on the examination of the relationship of demographic and group variables to
crime. Variables such as socioeconomic status, interpersonal relationships, age, race, gender, and cultural
groups of people are probed in relation to the environmental factors that are most conducive to criminal
action, such as time, place, and circumstances surrounding the crime.
b. Psychology- (Psychological Criminology) – the science of behavior and mental processes of the criminal. It
is focused on the individual criminal behavior-how it is acquired, evoked, maintained, and modified. Both the
environmental and personality influences are considered, along with the mental processes that mediate the
behavior.
c. Psychiatry – (Psychiatric Criminology) the science that deals with the study of crime through forensic
psychiatry, the study of criminal behavior in terms of motives and drives that strongly relies on the individual.
Psychoanalytic Theory – Sigmund Freud – traditional view). It also explains that criminals are acting out of
uncontrollable animalistic, unconscious, or biological urges (modern view).
The scientific study of crime and criminality is a relatively recent development. Although written criminal
codes have existed for thousands of years, these restricted to defining crime and setting punishments. What
motivated people to violate the law remained a matter for conjecture. During the middle Ages (1200 – 1600)
superstition and fear of satanic possession dominated thinking. People who violated social norms or religious
practices were believed to be witches or possessed by demons. The prescribed method for dealing with the
possessed was burning at the stake, a practice that survived into the seventeenth century. It was also commonly
believed that some families produced offspring who were unsound or unstable and that social misfits were inherently
damaged by reason of their “ inferior blood.” It was common practice to use cruel tortures to extract confessions, and
those convicted of violent of theft crimes suffered extremely harsh penalties including whipping, branding, maiming,
and execution.
Similarly, criminology includes the activities of the following offices and agencies of the government:
1. Legislative bodies and lawmakers
2. Law enforcement agencies
3. Courts and prosecution arms of government
4. Educational institution arms of government
5. Correctional institutions
6. Public charitable and social agencies
7. Public welfare agencies
And among the private sector whose work is related to criminology are the Following:
1. The family and the home
2. Church and religion
3. Private charitable
4. Civic clubs, and organizations
5. Print media, newspaper, radio and television
6. Private schools and colleges and others
NATURE OF CRIMINOLOGY
Generally, criminology cannot be considered a science because it has not yet acquired universal validity and
acceptance. It is not stable and it varies from one time and place to another. However, considering that the science is
the systematic and objective study of social phenomenon and other bodies of knowledge, criminology is a science in
itself when applied to law enforcement and prevention of crimes under the following nature:
1. It is an applied science – in the study of the causes of crimes, anthropology, psychology, sociology
and other natural sciences may be applied. While in crime detection, chemistry, medicine, physics,
mathematics, ballistics, polygraphy, legal medicine, questioned document examination may be utilized.
This is called instrumentation.
2. It is a social science – in as much as crime is social creation that it exists in a society being a social
phenomenon, its study must be considered a part of social science.
3. It is dynamic – criminology changes as social condition changes. It is concomitant with the
advancement of other sciences that have been applied to it.
4. It is nationalistic – the study of crimes must be in relation with the existing criminal law within a
territory or country. Finally, the question as to whether an act is crime is dependent on the criminal law
of state. It follows therefore, that the causes of crime must be determined from its social needs and
standards.
CRIME defined
In as much as the definition of crime is concerned, many field of study like law, sociology and psychology
have their respective emphasis on what crime is.
Crime-is also a generic name that refers to offense, felony and delinquency or misdemeanor.
Offense – is an act or omission that is punishable by special laws (a special law is a statute enacted by
Congress, penal in character, which is not an amendment to the Revised Penal Code) such as Republic Acts,
Presidential Decrees, Executive Orders, Memorandum Circulars, Ordinances and Rules and Regulations (Reyes,
2008)
Felony - is an act or omission that is punishable by the Revised Penal Code, the criminal law in the
Philippines (Reyes, 2008).
Delinquency/Misdemeanor – acts that are in violation of simple rules and regulations usually referring to
acts committed by minor offenders.
Criminalistics is included as division in criminology because Criminologist are also engaged in studying criminal
things, the analysis of physical evidences taken from the crime scene left behind by a criminal perpetrator.
Furthermore, the following are included in the study of criminology:
1. Study of the origin and development of criminal law and penal law.
2. Study of the causes of crimes and development of criminals.
3. Study of the different factors that enhance the development of criminal behavior such as:
a. Criminal Demography – Study of the relationship between criminality and population.
b. Criminal Epidiomology – Study of the relationship between environment and criminality.
c. Criminal Ecology – Study of criminality in relation to spatial distribution in a community.
d. Criminal Physical Anthropology – Study of criminality in relation to physical constitution of
men.
e. Criminal Psychology – Study of human behavior in relation to criminality.
f. Criminal Psychiatry – Study of human mind in relation to criminality.
g. Victimology – Study of the role of the victim in the commission of a crime.
Study of the various processes and measures accepted by society in cases of violation of criminal law such
as:
a. The detection and investigation of crimes
b. The arrest and apprehension of criminals
c. The prosecution and conviction of the criminal in a judicial proceedings
d. The imprisonment, correction and rehabilitation of criminal convicted of
a crime.
e. The enforcement of laws, decrees, rules and regulation.
f. The administration of the police and other law enforcement agencies.
g. Maintenance of recreational facilities and other auxiliary services to
prevent the development of crimes and criminal behavior.
NOTE: The Revised Penal Code is the book that contains the Philippine Criminal Law and likewise, it is embodied in
a different special laws and decrees which are penal nature.
Services Crimes
Service Crimes refers to crimes committed through rendition of a service to satisfy desire of another.
SOME DISTINCTIONS
Between Crime and Sin:
1. Crime is an act or omission against the penal law of state while sin is an act or omission against the spiritual or
divine law.
2. Upon conviction for a criminal act, the penalty is imposed during the lifetime of the person, while the penalty for
sinful act is imposed in the life thereafter.
3. Crime is nationalistic while immorality is regionalistic.
STUDY OF CRIMINALS
What is a Criminal?
In the legal sense, a criminal is any person who has been found to have committed a wrongful act in the
course of the standard judicial processes. They must be a final verdict of his guilt.
In the criminological sense, a person is already considered a criminal the moment he committed any anti –
social act.
In general, the approaches in the study of crime are: 1) subjective approach, 2) objective approach and 3)
the contemporary approach.
SUJECTIVE APPROACHES
It deals mainly on the biological explanation of crimes, focused on the forms of abnormalities that exist in the
individual criminal before, during and after the commission of the crime (Tradio, 1999). This approach covered the
following:
1. Anthropological Approach – the study on the physical characteristics of an individual offender with non-
offenders in the attempt to discover differences covering criminal behavior (Hooton).
2. Medical Approach – the application of medical examinations on the individual criminal explain the mental
and physical condition of the individual prior and after the commission of the crime (Positivist).
3. Biological Approach – the evaluation of generic influences to criminal behavior. It is noted that heredity is one
force pushing the criminal to crime (Positivist).
4. Physiological Approach - the study on the nature of human being concerning his physical needs in order to
satisfy his wants. It explains that the deprivation of the physical body on the basic needs is an importance
determiner of the commission of crime (Maslow).
5. Psychological Approach – is concerned about the deprivation of the psychological needs of man, which
constitute the development of deviations of normal behavior resulting to unpleasant emotions (Freu, Maslow).
6. Psychiatric Approach – the explanation of crime through diagnosis as a cause of the criminal behavior
(Positivist).
7. Psychoanalytic Approach – the explanation of crimes based on the Freudian Theory, which traces behavior.
They are the deviation of the repression of the basic drives (Freud).
OBJECTIVE APPROACHES
The objective approaches deal on the study of groups, social process and institutions as influences to
behavior. They are primarily derived from social sciences (Tradio, 1999). Under this are:
1. Geographical Approach – this approach considers to topography, natural resources, geographical location,
and climate lead an individual to commit crime (Quetelet).
2. Ecological Approach – it is concerned with the biotic grouping of men resulting to migration, competition,
social discrimination, division of labor and social conflict as factors to crime (Park).
3. Economic Approach – it deals with the explanation of crime concerning financial security of inadequacy
and other necessities to support life as factors to criminality (Merton).
CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES
Modern days put emphasis on scientific modes of explaining crime and criminal behavior. This approach is
focused on the psychoanalytical, psychiatric and sociological explanatory perspective that merges concepts drawn
from different sources (Schmalleger, 1997).
THEORIES OF CRIME
The formal development of criminology as a field of discipline is recent, but the ideas of people were
lawyers, doctors, philosophers, psychologists, and sociologists whose primary interest was reforming the criminal
law, not in creating a science of criminal behavior, Nevertheless, their contributions to criminology are immerse, and
for an adequate understanding of current criminological theories, some familiarity with these earlier approaches is
essential.
EARLY BEGINNINGS
The Demonological Theory
Before the development of more scientific theories of criminal behavior, one of the most popular
explanations was Demonology (Hagan, 1990).
According to this explanation, individuals were thought to be possessed by good or evil spirits, which caused
good or evil behavior. The theory maintains that criminal behavior was believed to be the result of evil spirits and
demons something of natural force that controls his/ behavior. Centuries ago, guilt and innocent were established by
a variety of procedures that presumably called forth the supernatural allies of the accused. The accused were
innocent if they could survive and ordeal, or if miraculous signs appeared, They were guilty if they died at stake, or if
omens were associated with them (Bartol, 1995). Harsh punishments were given.
PRE-TWENTIENTCENTURY (18TH C – 1738 – 1798)
In the eighteenth century, criminological literature, whether psychological, sociological, or psychiatric in bent,
has traditionally been divided into three broad schools of thought about the causes of crime: the classical, neo-
classical and the positivist schools of criminology.
The classical School of Criminology
The is the school of thought advocated by Ceasare Beccaria whose real name is Ceasare Bonansa Marchese de
Beccaria together with Jeremy Bentham (1823) who proposed “Utilitarian Hedonism”, the theory, which explains that
a person always acts in such a way as to seek pleasure and avoid pain.
Cesare Beccaria in his “ESSAY on Crimes and Punishment” presented his key ideas on the abolition of
torture as a legitimate means extracting confessions. The Classical theory maintains that man is essentially a moral
creature with absolute Free will to choose between good and evil. Therefore, tress is placed upon the criminal
himself; that every man is responsible for his act.
Freewill (Beccaria) – a philosophy advocating punishment severe enough for people to choose, to avoid
criminal acts. It includes the belief that a certain criminal act warrants a certain punishment without any variation.
Hedonism (Bentham) – the belief that people choose pleasure and avoid pain.
According to Beccaria, the crime problem could be trace not to bad people but to bad laws based on the
assumption of freewill. He proposed the following principles (Adler, 1995):
1. Laws should be used to maintain the social contact – “ Laws are the condition under which men united
themselves in society”.
2. Only legislators should create laws – “authority of making law penal laws can only reside with the legislator, who
represent the whole society united by the social compact”.
3. Judges should impose punishment only in accordance with law.
4. Punishment should be based on the pleasure – pain are the only springs of actions in being endowed with
sensibility. If an equal punishment be ordained in two crimes that injure society in different degrees, there is
nothing to deter men from committing the greater as often as it is intended with greater advantage”.
5. The punishment should be determined by the crime – “if mathematical calculations could be applied to the
obscure and infinite combinations of human actions, there might be a corresponding scale of punishments
descending from the greatest to the least”.
6. Punishment should be based on the act, not on the actor – “crimes are only to be measured by the injuries
done to the society”.
7. Punishment should be prompt and effective – “ the more immediat6e after the commission of the crime a
punishment is inflicted, the more just and useful it will be”.
8. All people should be treated equally – “ the punishment of a nobleman is no differ from that of the lowest
member of society”.
9. Capital punishment should be applied only to serious crimes against the state (Achmalleger, 1997).
10. The use of torture to gain confession should be abolished.
11. It is better to prevent crimes than to punish them.
Although the classical doctrine had an immediate and profound impact on jurisprudence and legislation, there
are certain arguments against it.
Arguments about the Classical Theory (Tradio, 1999).
1. Unfair – it treats all men as if they were robot without regard to the individual differences and the surrounding
circumstances when the crime is committed.
2. Unjust – having the same punishment for first offenders and recidivists.
3. The nature and definition of punishment for first offenders and recidivists.
4. It considers only the injury caused not the mental conditions of the offender.
The Neo- Classical School of Criminology
The neo – Classical School of Criminology argued that situations or circumstances that made it impossible
to exercise freewill are reasons to exempt the accused from conviction.
This school of thought maintains that while the classical doctrine is correct in general, it should be modified
in certain details:
a. That children and lunatics should not be regarded as criminals and free from punishment.
b. It must take into account certain mitigating circumstances.
The Positivist/ Italian School (1838 – 1909)
The school that composed of Italians who agreed that in the study of crime the emphasis should be on
scientific treatment of the criminal, not on the penalties to be imposed after conviction.
It maintained that crime as my other act is a natural phenomenon and is comparable to disaster or calamity.
That crime as a social and moral phenomenon which cannot be treated and checked by the imposition of punishment
but rather rehabilitation or the enforcement of individual measures.
Cesare Lombroso and his two students, Enrico Ferri and Rafael Garofalo advocated this school.
Cesare Lombroso (1836 – 1909) – The Italian leader of the positivist school of criminology, was criticized
for his methodology and his attention to the biological characteristics of scientifically earned him the “father of modern
criminology.” His major contribution is the development of a scientific approach to the study of criminal behavior and
to reform the criminal law. He wrote the essay entitled “CRIME: Its Causes and Remedies” that contains his key ideas
and the classifications of criminals.
Classifications of Criminals by Lombroso
1. Born Criminals – there are born criminals according to Lombroso, the belief that criminal behavior is inherited.
2. Criminal by Passion – are individuals who are easily influenced by great emotions like fit of anger.
3. Insane Criminals – are those who commit crime due to abnormalities or psychological disorders. They should be
exempted form criminal liability.
4. Criminoloid – a person who commit crime due to less physical stamina/ self control.
5. Occasional Criminal – are those who commit crime due to insignificant reasons that pushed them to do at a given
occasion.
6. Pseudo – criminals – are those who kill in self-defense.
Enrico Ferri (1856 –1929) – He was the best-known Lombroso’s associate. Member of Parliament,
accomplished public lecturer, brilliant lawyer, editor, and scholar. Although he agreed with Lombroso on the biological
bases of criminal behavior, his interest in socialism led him to recognize the importance of social, economic, and
political determinants.
His greatest contribution was his attack on the classical doctrine of free will, which argued that criminals should
be held morally responsible for their crimes because they must have made a rational decision to commit the crime.
Raffaele Garofalo (1852 – 1934) –Another follower of Lombroso, an Italian nobleman, magistrate, senator, and
professor of law. Like Lombroso and Ferri, he rejected the doctrine of free will and supported the position that the
only way to understand crime was to study it by scientific methods Influenced on Lombroso’s theory of atavistic
stigmata (man’s inferior/ animalistic behavior), he traced the roots of criminal behavior not to physical features but to
their psychological equivalents, which he called “moral anomalies”.
According to his theory, natural crimes are found in all human societies, regardless of the views of the
lawmakers, and no civilized society can afford to disregard them.
Natural crimes, according to Garofalo, are those that offend the basic moral sentiments of probity (respect for
property of others) and piety (revulsion against the infliction of suffering on others) Adler, 1995).
OTHER THEORISTS
Charles Darwin’s Theory (1809 –1882)
In the theory of evolution, he claimed that humans, like other animals, are parasite. Man is an organism
having an animalistic behavior that is dependent on other animals for survival. Thus, man kills and steal to live.
In particular, criminal Psychology is a sub-field of general psychology where criminal behavior is only, in
part by which phenomena psychologists choose to study. It may be defined as the study of criminal behavior, the
study of criminal conduct and activities in an attempt to discover recurrent patterns and formulate rules about his
behavior.
Behavior as maladaptive
Maladaptive behavior is the effect of a well being of the individual and or the social group. That some kind
of deviant behavior interferes with the welfare of the individual such as a man who fears crowd can’s ride a bus. This
means that a person cannot adopt himself with the situation where in it is beneficial to him.
KINDS OF BEHAVIOR
As mentioned earlier, the importance element in the definition of psychology is behavior. As cited by Alicia
Kahayon, behavior may be:
ASPECTS OF BEHAVIOR
Intellectual Aspect – this aspect of behavior pertains to our way of thinking, reasoning, solving problem,
processing info and copying with the environment.
Emotional Aspect – this pertains to our feeling, moods, temper, and strong motivational force.
Social Aspect – this pertains to how we interact or relate with other people.
Moral Aspect – this refers to our conscience and concept on what is good or bad.
Psychosexual Aspect – this pertains to our being a man or a woman and the expression of love.
Political Aspect – this pertains to our ideology towards society/ government.
Value/ Attitude – this pertains to our interest towards something, our likes and dislikes.
T +S
C = ---------
R
Where:
The formula shows that a person’s criminal tendency and his resistance to them may either result in criminal
act depending upon, which of them is stronger. This means that a crime or criminal behavior exist when the person’s
resistance is insufficient to withstands the pressure of his desire or intent the opportunity (Tradio, 1983). In
understanding this, the environment factors such as tress and stains are considered because they contribute they
contribute in mobilizing a person’s criminal tendency and the individual’s psychological intellectual and social
upbringing and is either manifestation of a strong or weak character.
DETERMINANTS OF BEHAVIOR
The questions why do people become heterosexual and others homosexuals, some are alcoholics, some
are law abiding and others are criminals, come are well adjusted and others mentally ill? What will enable us to
understand these extremes of behavior?
The answer to those questions requires the study and understanding of the influences of HERIDITY
ENVIRONEMENT. As cited by Tuason:
Environmental Factors
This refers to anything around the person that influences his action. James Coleman in his book mentioned
some environmental factors such as:
Family Background – it is a basic consideration because it is in the family whereby an individual first
experiences how to relate and interact with another. The family is said to be the cradle of personality development as
result of either a close or harmonious relationship or a pathogenic family structure: the disturbed family, broken
family, separated or maladjusted relations.
Childhood Trauma – the experiences, which affect the feeling of security of a child undergoing
development processes. The development processes are being blocked sometimes by parental deprivation as a
consequence of lack of adequate maturing at home because of parental rejection, overprotection, restrictive ness,
over permissiveness, and faulty discipline.
Pathogenic Family Structure – those families associated with high frequency of problems such as:
a. The inadequate family – characterized by the inability to cope with the ordinary problems of family living. It lacks
the resources, physical of psychological, for meeting the demands of family satisfaction.
b. The anti-social family – those that espouses unacceptable values as a result of the influence of parents to their
children.
c. The discordant/disturbed family – characterized by non – satisfaction of one or both parent from the relationship
that may express feeling of frustration. This is usually due to value difference as common sources of conflict and
dissatisfaction.
d. The disrupted family – characterized by incompleteness whether as a result of death, divorce, separation or
some other circumstances.
Other Factors
In the environment, the following are also factors that influential to one’s behavior:
1. Institutional Influences such as peer groups, mass media, church and school, government institutions,
NGO’s, etc.
2. Socio – Cultural Factors such as war and violence, group prejudice and discrimination, economic and
employment problems and other social changes.
3. Nutrition or the quality of food that a person intake is also a factor that influences man to commit crime
because poverty is one of the reasons to criminal behavior.
Motivation
Motivation on the other hand refers to the influences that govern the initiation, direction, intensity, and
persistence behavior (Berstein, et al, 1991). Thus motivation refers to the causes and “why’s” of behavior and giving
its direction (Kahayon, 1975).
Drives are states of comfortable tension that spur activity until a goal is reached.
Psychological Needs
Psychological needs are influenced primarily by the kind of society in which the individual is raised.
Psychological motives are those related to the individual happiness and well being, but not for the survival, unlike the
biological motives that focuses on basic needs – primary motives.
Self-Actualization
Aesthetic
Esteem
Cognitive Needs
Love/ Belongingness
Safety Needs
The pyramid presentation shows that from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy, the levels of needs or motive
according to Maslow, are:
1. Biological or Physical Needs – these motives include the need for food, water, oxygen, activity, and sleep.
2. Safety Needs – These pertains to the motives of being cared for and being secured such as in income and
place to live.
3. Love/ Belongingness – Belongingness is integration into various kinds of social groups or social
organizations. Love needs means needs for affection.
4. Cognitive Needs – Our motivation for learning and exploration.
5. Esteem Needs – our motivation for an honest, fundamental respect for a person as useful and honorable
human being.
6. Aesthetic Needs – our motivation for beauty and order.
7. Self – actualization – pertains to human total satisfaction, when people are motivated not so much by
unmet needs, as by the desire to become all they are capable of (self-realization).
Types of Conflicts
1. Double Approach Conflict – a person is motivated to engage in two desirable activities that cannot be
pursued simultaneously.
2. Double Avoidance Conflict – person faces two understandable situations in which the avoidance of one is
the exposure the other resulting to an intense emotion.
3. Approach – Avoidance Conflict – a person faces situation having both a desirable and undesirable
feature. It is sometimes called “dilemma”, because some negative and some positive features must be
accepted regardless which course of action is chosen.
4. Multiple Approach – Avoidance Conflict – situation in which a choice must be made between two or more
alternatives each has both positive and negative features. It is the most difficult to resolve because the
features of each portion are often difficult to compare.
Anxiety is an intangible feeling that seems to evade any effort to resolve it. It is also called neurotic fear. It could
be intense, it could be low and can be a motivating force (Coleman, 1980).
Stress is the process of adjusting to or dealing with circumstances that disrupts, or threatens to disrupt a
person’s physical or psychological functioning (Berstein,et al, 1991).
As cited by Robert Wicks (1974), the following are our defense mechanisms:
1. Denial of Reality – protection of oneself from unpleasant reality by refusal to perceive or face it. Simply by
avoiding something that is unpleasant.
2. Fantasy – the gratification of frustration desires in imaginary achievement. Paying attention not to what is
going on around him but rather to what is taking place in his thoughts.
3. Projection – placing blame for difficulties upon other or attribution one’s own unethical desires to others in
an effort to prevent us being blamed.
4. Rationalization – the use of excuses an individual to him and to others. Attempting to prove that one’s
behavior is justifiable and thus worthy of self and worthy approval.
5. Reaction Formation – it occurs when someone tries to prevent his submission to unacceptable impulses by
taking opposite stand. Preventing dangerous desires from being expresses by exaggerating opposed
attitudes and type behavior and using them as barriers.
6. Displacement – discharging pent-up emotion on objects less dangerous than those that initially aroused the
emotion.
7. Emotional Insulation – withdrawal is passivity to protect self from hurt.
8. Isolation/ Intellectualization – series to cut off the emotions from a situation, which is normally, is full of
feeling.
9. Regression – revert from a past behavior to retreating earlier development level involving less mature
responses and usually a lower level of aspiration.
10. Sublimation – gratification of frustrated sexual desire in substitutive men sexual activities.
11. Identification – increasing feeling of worth by identifying self with person or institution. The person can
associate himself with something or someone to elevate position.
12. Introjections – incorporating external values and standards into ego structures so individual is not at their
even they are contrary to one’s own assumption.
13. Undoing – apologizing for wrongs, repentance, doing penance and undergoing punishment to negate
disapproval act.
14. Sympathism – striving to gain sympathy from others. The person seeks to be praised by relating faults or
problem.
15. Acting out – reduction of the anxiety aroused by forbidden desires by permitting their expression. The
individual deals with all impulse by expressing them.
Human Values
Human values are relevant in understanding human behavior. They are the standards which people use to
cognize, express, and evaluate their behavior thus give direction to their lives. They are the enduring preferences for
mode of conduct or state of existence.
Common Sense
The science of behavior has one of its goals the elimination of widespread misconceptions that are now
considered valid such as numerology and palmistry, although still accepted by some people today and palmistry,
although still accepted by some people today to predict events and conditions (Wicks, 1974).
A. Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are commonly known as “neurotic fear” When it is occasional but intense, it is called
“panic”. When it is mild but continuous, it is called “worry” which is usually accompanied by physiological symptoms
such as sustained muscular tension, increased blood pressure, insomnia, etc. They are considered as the central
feature of all neurotic patterns. These disorders are characterized by mild depressions, fear and tensions, and mild
stresses.
B. Somatoform Disorders
Complaints of bodily systems that suggest the pressure of physical problem but no organic basis can be
found individual is pre-occupied with his state of heath or diseases.
C. Dissociative Disorder
A response to obvious stress characterized by amnesia, multiple personality, and depersonalization.
Amnesia
The partial or total inability to call or identify past experiences following a traumatic incident.
1. Brain pathology amnesia – total loss of memory and it cannot be retrieved by simple means. It requires long
period of medication.
2. Psychogenic amnesia – failure to recall stored information and still are beneath the level of consciousness
but forgotten material”.
Multiple Personality
It is also called “dual personality”. The person manifests two or more symptoms of personality usually
dramatically different from each other.
Depersonalization
It is the “loss of sense of self “ or the so called “out of body experience.” There is a feeling of detachment
from one’s mental processes or body or being in a dream state. Cases somnambulism (sleep walking) may fall
under this disorder.
D. Mood Disorders (Affective Disorders)
Mood disorder often referred to as affective disorder however the critical pathology in these disorders is one
of mood which is the internal state of a person, and not of affect, the external expression of emotional content
(Manual of Mental Disorder).
Mood disorders are group of clinical conditions characterized by loss of sense of control of their moods and
affects, and a subjective experience of great distress mood may be elevated on depressed. These disorders
always result in impaired interpersonal, social and occupational functioning.
Classification Disorders
Depressive Disorders
Major Depressive Disorder – Patients with depressed mood have a loss of energy and interest, feeling of
guilt, difficulty in concentrating, loss of appetite, and thoughts of death or suicide, they are not affected with
manic episodes.
Dysthymic Disorder – a mild form of major depressive disorder.
Bipolar Disorders – those experienced by patients with both manic and depressive episodes.
Cyclothymic Disorder – a less severe form of bipolar disorder
Psychopathic Behaviors
The second group of abnormal behavior, which typically stemmed from immature and distorted personality
development, resulting in persistent maladaptive ways of perceiving and thinking.
They are generally called “personality or character disorders” These groups of disorders are composed of
the following:
A. Personality Disorders
1. Paranoid Personality Disorder
It is characterized by suspicious, rigidity, envy, hypersensitiveness and tendency to blame others of one’s
own mistakes.
2. Schizoid Personality Disorder
It is characterized by the inability to form social relationship and lack of interest
in doing so, persons with this kind of disorder hardly express their feelings. They lack social skills. They are the so-
called “loners”.
2. Schizotypal Personality Disorder
It is characterized by seclusiveness, over-sensitivity avoidance of communication and superstitious thinking
is common.
3.Histrionic Personality Disorder
It is characterized by immaturity, excitability, emotional instability and self-dramatization.
4.Narcissistics Personality Disorder
It is characterized by an exaggerated sense of self- importance and pre-occupation with receiving attention.
The person usually expects and demands special treatment from others and disregarding the rights and feeling of
others.
5. Borderline Personality Disorder
It is characterized by instability reflected in drastic mood shifts and behavior problems. The person usually
displays intense anger outburst with little provocation and he is impulse, unpredictable, and periodically unstable.
6. Avoidant Personality Disorder
It is characterized by hypersentivity to rejection and apprehensive alertness to any sign of social derogation.
Person is reluctant to enter into social interaction.
7. Dependent Personality Disorder
It is characterized by extreme dependence on other people-there is acute discomfort and even panic to be
alone. The person lacks confidence and feels helpless.
8. Passive – Aggressive Personality Disorder
It is characterized by being hostile expressed in indirect and non-violent ways. They are the so called
“stubborn”.
9. Compulsive Personality Disorder
It is characterized by excessive concern with rules, order, and efficiency that everyone does things their own
way. It is also characterized with an ability to express warm feelings, The person is over conscientious, serious, and
with difficulty in doing things for relaxation.
10. Anti- social Personality Disorder
It is characterized by continuing violation of the rights of others through aggressive, anti behavior without
remorse or loyalty to anyone.
Anti – social Personality is actually the “psychopathic personality disorder”. The person lacks ethical or
moral development and with inability to follow approved models of them conflict with the society. They may refer to
mixed groups of individuals such as unprincipled business people, crooked politicians, drug pushers, quack doctors,
prostitutes, etc.
Common Characteristics of Anti-social Personalities
1. Inadequate conscience development and unable to accept ethical values
2. Irresponsible and impulsive behavior; low frustrations tolerance
3. Ability to impress and exploit others; projecting blame unto others of their own anti-social acts.
4. Rejection of authority.
5. Inability to maintain good interpersonal relationship.
B. Criminal Behavior
The disorder used to describe the behavior of a person who commits serious crimes from individual to
property crimes and the disobedience of societal rules in general.
“Dyssocial Personality” is the term used to refer to these individuals (not anti – social) but particularly
those who violate laws and practice “crime as a profession” . They are not normally associated with any significant
personality disturbances. As a study, criminal behavior refers to the human conduct focused on the mental processes
of the criminal; the way he behaves or acts including his activities and the causes and influences of his criminal
behavior.
The Psychotic Behaviors
The Psychotic Behaviors are group of disorders involving gross structural defects in the brain tissue, severe
disorientation of the mind thus it involves loss of contact with reality.
1. Organic Mental Disorders
A diagnosis of organic mental disorder is associated with specific, identified organic cause, such as
abnormalities of the brain structure. These are mental disorders that occur when the normal brain has been damage
resulting from any interference of the functioning of the brain.
Mental Retardation
Mental retardation is a mental disorder characterized by sub-average general functioning existing
concurrency with deficits in adaptive behavior. It is a common mental disorder before the age of 18. The person is
suffering from low I.Q., difficulty in focusing attention and deficiency in fast learning.
1. Mild Mental Retardation (I.Q. 52-67)-“educable”
2. Moderate Mental Retardation (I.Q. 35-51)- “trainable”
3. Severe Mental Retardation (I.Q. 20-35) – “dependent retarded”
4. Profound Mental Retardation (I.Q. under 20) – life support retarded”
Types of Schizophrenia
1. Simple Schizophrenia (Undifferentiated Type) – the schizophrenia in which symptom are rapidly changing
mixture of all primary indicators of schizophrenia. The varying combinations of delusions, hallucinations, thought
disorder, and gross bizarreness.
2. Paraniod Schizophenia – it is the illogical, changeable delusions frequently accompanied by vivid hallucinations,
with a resulting impairment of critical judgment, unpredictable and occasionally dangerous behavior.
3. Catatonic Schizophenia - It is the altering period of extreme withdrawal and extreme excitement. The individual
may talk or shout incoherently and engage individual may talk or shout incoherently and engage uninhibited,
impulsive behavior. The person may be dangerous.
4. Hebepherenic Schizopherenia (Disorganized Type) – There is emotional distortion manifested in inappropriate
laughter, peculiar mannerism, and bizarre behavior.
5. Residual Schizopheria – refers to persons who had a prior episode of schizopherenia but currently, are not
displaying active delusions, hallucinations or overall disorganization of behavior.
Paranoia – it is a psychosis characterized by a systematized delusion system. A delusion is a firm belief
opposed to reality but maintained in spite of strong evidence to the contrary. It also a psychosis characterized by
delusion of apprehension following a failure or frustration.
Symptoms of the Disorder includes feeling of being mistreated, ignored, stolen from, spied upon, and over
suspicious.’
The Disorder is characterized by:
(sequence of events in paranoia)
a. Suspiciousness - the individual mistrust the motives others and fear that he will be taken advantage.
b. Protective thinking –blame other for one’s own mistake
c. Hostility – response to alleged mistreatment with anger and hostility, the person becomes increasingly suspicious.
d. Paranoid Illumination – strange feeling of events experienced.
e. Delusion – feeling of persecution.
The crimes in the modern world represent the latest and the most dangerous manifestations of the
something – for – nothing- complex problems of society. This includes Organized Crimes, White – Collar Crimes,
Conventional Crimes, and the Victimless Crimes.
ORGANIZED CRIMES
An organized Crime is a criminal activity by an enduring structure or organization developed and devoted
primarily to the pursuit of profits through illegal means. It is sometimes referred to as the “MOB”, MAFIA”,
SYNDICATE” or the “COSA NOSTRA”, which are known as “the enemy with in”, “the 2nd government”, “the 5th estate”
or the “crime confederation.”
The term Cosa Nostra (literally means “one thing”) or mafia is use to signify organized crimes, and one of
the varieties names for either mob or syndicate. A strict code of conduct governs their behavior called the “OMERTA”
– the mafia’s code of secrecy, and informal, unwritten code of organized crime, which demand silence and loyalty,
among other thing, of family members (Abandinsky, 1991).
BOSS
(Counselor)
UNDER BOSS
SOLDIERS
(Members group under Lt.)
Organized crimes refers to the unlawful activities of the members of a highly organized, disciplined
organization engaged to gambling, prostitution, loan sharking, narcotics, labor racketing, and other illegal operations
of the organization.
The group may be characterized as persons of decent character, with formal education, having its own
social classes from gangsterism to racketeering.
Property Crimes are crimes of economic interest. It includes in ordinary language. It also includes but not limited to
offenses such as unlawful entry to commit theft, shopping, vandalism, arson.
Property crimes are also in the forms of:
1. Occasional Property Crimes
Shoplifting, Vandalism
Motor vehicle theft, Check Forgery
2. Conventional Property Crimes
Burglary/unlawful entry to commit theft
Fence
Larceny/Theft
3. Destructive Property Crimes
Arson
a. Sexual anxiety
b. Pervasive fear to the opposite sex
c. Problems in interpersonal relationship
d. General problem of unhappiness
Classification of Men who Rape
1. Anger Rapist – sexual attack becomes a means of expensing anger or rage and involves more physical
assault upon the victim.
2. Power Rapist – assailant primarily wishes to express his domination over the victim.
3. Sadism Rapist – perpetrator combines sexuality and aggression which aims in psychic desires to often
torture or otherwise abuse the victim.
E. Family violence are violence crimes involving physical assault by a family member to another family
members such as the following:
1. Child Abuse – an attack or assault of an adult against the defenseless or people who cannot defend
themselves usually by a parent to a child.
2. Spouse Abuse – “husband vs wife battering “
Criminal Career of Violent Offenders
1. Culturally Violent Offenders – those who live in cultures which violence is an acceptable problem
mechanism.
2. Criminally Violent Offenders – those who use violence as a means to accomplish criminal acts.
3. Pathological Violent Offenders – those who commit violent crimes due to mental disturbances.
4. Situational Violent Offenders – those who commit acts of violence on rare occasions, often under
provocation. They are the criminals “by passion”.
Property Crimes (Non- Index Crimes)
A. Occasional Property Crimes
Occasional Property crimes are group of property crimes committed by ordinary criminals with little
progressive knowledge on criminal techniques. Offenders injure or steal property on an infrequent basis. They tend to
commit crimes such as:
1. Auto theft of motor vehicle theft
2. Shoplifting or good pilferage
3. Vandalism
4. Check Forgeries
Types of Auto Theft
1. Joy riding Auto Theft – borrowing automobiles without returning
2. Short-term transportation – stolen vehicle as a temporary means of transportation.
3. Long-term Transportation – stolen vehicle used as a permanent means of transportation.
4. Profit motivated Auto Theft – organized auto theft, which includes vehicle identity alterations, or the “chop-
hops – cannibalized auto parts.
Types of Vandalism
1. Wanton Vandalism – destruction acts, which have no monetary gain or purpose in mind.
2. Predatory Vandalism – destructive acts of gain such as destroying machines in order to gain contents.
3. Vindictive Vandalism – acts as an expression of hatred.
VICTIMLESS CRIMES
What is a Victimless Crime?
In common understanding of what crime means is that the act implies that there is both perpetrator and a
victim of the wrongful behavior. With victimless crimes, this general rule does not apply.
VICTIMLESS CRIMES refers to those crimes in which no clear victim is readily identifiable. In other words,
the only injured party is the offender, who engages in self-destructive behavior.
These crimes are also called moral offenses or vice. Many of these crimes generally refer to Public Order
Crimes – an offense that is consensual and lacks a complaining participant. It is rare in these cases are victims who
seek prosecution.
Prostitution
Prostitution is the practice of having sexual relations with emotional indifference on a promiscuous and
mercenary basis. Prostitution itself is not a criminal offense; it is the act of soliciting, selling, or seeking paying
costumers, which is prohibited. It is overwhelmingly a female occupation. (F. Hagan)
Prostitution is the act of sexual intercourse for hire, an offering or agreeing to perform an act of sexual
intercourse or any unlawful sexual act for hire “sex for money”. Leonard Click)
Prostitution is bartering of sex favor for monetary consideration, either gift or cash, without emotional
attachment between partners. It is the practice of offering one’s body for indiscriminate intercourse, usually in
exchange for monetary value. It is synonymous with sexual intercourse. (Denney Pace) The type of prostitution may
include but not limited to the Street Walkers, call Girl/Boy, Electric Call Girl/Boy, Lonely Hearts Hustlers, Computer
Selected Date, Public-Relation Gimmick, Photo-Studio Prostitution, House Wife Prostitute, and the Massage Parlor
prostitute.
Pornography
Pornography is any material intended primarily to arouse sexual desires, pertaining to literature and or
lascivious materials in the forms of mail or written media, television, telephone, and radio.
Drug Abuse
The term Drug Abuse most often refers to the use of drug with such frequency that it causes physical or
mental harm to the user or impairs social functioning. Traditionally, drug abuse referred to the use of any drug
prohibited by law, regardless of whether it was actually harmful of not. This meant that any use of Marijuana, for
example, even if it occurred only in a while, would constitute abuse, while the same level of alcohol consumption
would not.
Compulsion / Uncontrollable Craving - the addict feels a compulsive craving to take repeatedly and tries to
procure the same by any means.
Tolerance – it is tendency to increase the dose of the drug to produce the same effect as to that of the original effect.
Addiction – the addict is powerless to quit drug abuse
Physical Dependence – the addict’s physiological functioning is altered. The body becomes sick, inactive and
incapable of carrying out useful activity in the absence of the drug. The withdrawal syndromes will occur once the
drug is stopped.
Psychological Dependence – emotional and mental discomfort exist to the individual. The drug addict feels he
cannot do without the drug, consequently if he does not take the drug his processes are affected. He cannot carryout
his work efficiently.
Withdrawal Syndrome – the addict becomes nervous ad restless when he does not get the drug. After about 12
hours, he starts sweating. His nose and eyes becomes watery and continue doing so increasingly for another twelve
hours. Vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and sleep follows, Respiration, blood pressure and body temperature also
rises, starts subsiding and most of it gone in about two weeks time. Complete recovery takes place in three to six
months.
Alcoholism
The term Alcoholic and Alcoholism are used to refer to a person or the person’s behavior with life problem
related to alcohol drinking. Sometimes they are called “Problem Drinking”.
Alcoholism may not be a crime but it is largely dependent on the community standard, whether the
community tolerates the sale of alcoholism is accepted or not, the fact is problem drinking is associated with criminal
behavior and crime.
Gambling
Gambling is usually defined as wagering on games or events which chance largely determines the outcome.
(Coleman).
While there were some prohibitions against gambling have never drawn the attention commanded by
alcohol, prostitution and narcotics. Yet, gambling was intertwined with the supply of alcohol and drugs. Organized
crimes groups even have the biggest connection with these victimless crimes in the most urban areas. (Brendan
Victimology, as institutionalized by the WSV, may be defined as: the scientific study of the extent, nature
and causes of criminal victimization, its consequences for the person involved and the reactions thereto by society, in
particular the police and the criminal justice system as voluntary worker and professional helpers.
Who is a victim?
Media attention on several high profile cases in recent years has clouded the issue of “who is a victim? For
example cases in which a victim clashes with antagonists have complicated the delineation of victim and offender, I.
e. the so-called “subway vigilante” , a man who shot four teenagers with an unlicensed revolver on a subway train
when he feared he would be robbed. Reportedly, he perceive himself to be a victim of a mugging, and used a
weapon on perceived perpetrators, in order to “ defend himself” the would- be victim” was tried for attempted murder,
assault and reckless endangerment. To some, he is / was a victim standing up for himself; to others, he is a trigger-
happy gunman who reportedly overreacted to an inaccurately perceived treat. (Johnson,1986; Sullivan, 1989;
Karmen, 1990)
Dynamics of Victimization
There are number of procedural models that can be applied to the study of the victimization process for the
purpose of understanding the experience the victims undergoes during and following victimization. Among these
models are:
“Victims of Crime Model” (by: Bard and Sangrey) According to this model, there are three stages involved
in any victimization:
a. Stage of impact and Disorganization, during and, immediately following the criminal event,
b. Stage of Recoil – during which the victim formulates psychological defenses and deals with conflicting emotions of
guilt, anger, acceptance, and desire of revenge (said to last three to eight months),
c. Reorganization Stage – during which the victim puts his or her life back to normal daily living. Some victims,
however may not successfully adopt the victimization experience and a maladaptive reorganization stage may last for
many years.
“Disaster Victim’s Model” – this models was developed to explain the coping behavior of victims of natural
disaster. According to this model, there are four stages of victimization:
a. Pre-impact stage – describe the state of the victim prior to being victimized.
b. Impact or the stage at which victimization occur.
c. Post impact stage – which entails the degree and duration of personal and social disorganization
following victimization.
d. Behavioral outcome – which describes the victim’s adjustment to the victimization experience.